Increased Omega-3 Consumption Associated With Lower Risk Of Alzheimer’s

A Columbia University study has found that the greater the consumption of omega-3 fatty acids from a variety of foods the lower the levels of beta-amyloid – a protein related to Alzheimer’s disease – in the blood. Researchers obtained diet information for an average of 1.2 years from 1,219 people over age 65 who were free of dementia. Their blood was then tested for the beta-amyloid. Researchers were especially interested in 10 nutrients: saturated fatty acids, omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, mono-unsaturated fatty acid, vitamin E, vitamin C, beta-carotene, vitamin B12, folate and vitamin D. Eating a gram of omega-3 a day (about half a salmon fillet a week) more than the average omega-3 consumed by people in the study was associated with 20 to 30 percent lower blood beta-amyloid levels.